
The Light Over Lake Como
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $30.09
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
David Marantz
-
By:
-
Roland Merullo
About this listen
Two lovers separated in war-torn Italy struggle to reunite in a riveting and heartrending historical novel by the bestselling author of Once Night Falls and From These Broken Streets.
It’s 1945. The Nazi occupation of Italy is in its closing days. But risk is ever present.
It’s been nearly two years since Sarah Zinsi found tenuous sanctuary in Switzerland. Unmoored in a foreign land, she heeds a rumor that her village on the Lake Como shore has been liberated. Clutching her young daughter, Sarah navigates the arduous mountain trek back home to be with Luca Benedetto, the father of her child.
A resister to the end, Luca has one last assignment: assassinate Mussolini, the man who destroyed everything Luca cherished and who forced the love of his life to flee. Sarah’s path crosses that of a charismatic and kindly black marketeer turned partisan spy. He vows to keep mother and child safe as Luca’s perilous mission escalates and the Nazis’ final moves devolve into chaos.
But for Sarah and Luca, the pull of love, the will to survive, and the promise of a new family are greater than any odds against them.
©2024 Roland Merullo (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Rinpoche's Remarkable Ten-Week Weight Loss Clinic
- A Novella (Breakfast with Buddha Series)
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 2 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rinpoche's Remarkable Ten-Week Weight Loss Clinic brings back two main characters from Roland Merullo's beloved Breakfast with Buddha series. This time, though, instead of cruising the American road together, Otto Ringling and Volya Rinpoche are part of the famous meditation master's offbeat weight loss clinic, held over the course of ten Saturdays in a New York City yoga studio.
-
-
More Rimpoche love and laughter
- By Patti on 07-15-24
By: Roland Merullo
-
The Deal of a Lifetime
- A Novella
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It all begins with a father telling a story to his son on Christmas Eve. But this isn't your typical Christmas story. The father admits to his son that he's taken a life but he won't say whose - not yet. One week earlier, in a hospital late at night, the man met a five-year-old girl with cancer. She's a smart kid - smart enough to know that she won't beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.
-
-
Novellas Are Horrible!!!!!
- By 3xcharm on 12-28-17
By: Fredrik Backman
-
Breakfast with Buddha
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their childhood home, Otto Ringling, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a riddle is not what he'd planned. But in an effort to westernize his passenger---and amuse himself---he decides to show the monk some "American fun" along the way.
-
-
a thoughtful and often hilarious journey
- By Yaya Mary on 09-15-11
By: Roland Merullo
-
A Harvest of Secrets
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. The seeds of terror planted by Hitler have brought Allied forces to Italian soil. Young lovers separated by war—one near a Tuscan hill town, the other a soldier on the Sicilian front—will meet any challenge to reunite.
-
-
Italy during World War II
- By Kindle Customer on 09-16-22
By: Roland Merullo
-
Vatican Waltz
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cynthia Piantedosi lives a quiet, unassuming life with her elderly father just outside of Boston. When she loses her beloved grandmother as a child, her faith takes a turn for the devout, and she begins experiencing what she describes as "spells" - moments of such intense prayer that she loses herself. Uninterested in boys and a social life, she develops a deep friendship with the parish priest, whose ideas are often seen as too provocative by his congregation but who encourages her to explore her spells.
-
-
I enjoyed it until the last page.
- By Pam on 08-15-16
By: Roland Merullo
-
From These Broken Streets
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. The Nazi occupation has cemented its grip on the devastated city of Naples. Giuseppe DiPietra, a curator in the National Archives, has a subversive plan to aid the Allies. If he’s discovered, forced labor or swift execution. Lucia Pastone, secretary for the Italian Fascist government, is risking her own life in secret defiance of orders. And Lucia’s father, Aldo, is a black marketeer who draws Giuseppe and Lucia into the underworld - for their protection and to help plant the seeds of resistance.
-
-
I’ve been to Naples and never knew any of this
- By paula wright on 12-30-20
By: Roland Merullo
-
Rinpoche's Remarkable Ten-Week Weight Loss Clinic
- A Novella (Breakfast with Buddha Series)
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 2 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rinpoche's Remarkable Ten-Week Weight Loss Clinic brings back two main characters from Roland Merullo's beloved Breakfast with Buddha series. This time, though, instead of cruising the American road together, Otto Ringling and Volya Rinpoche are part of the famous meditation master's offbeat weight loss clinic, held over the course of ten Saturdays in a New York City yoga studio.
-
-
More Rimpoche love and laughter
- By Patti on 07-15-24
By: Roland Merullo
-
The Deal of a Lifetime
- A Novella
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It all begins with a father telling a story to his son on Christmas Eve. But this isn't your typical Christmas story. The father admits to his son that he's taken a life but he won't say whose - not yet. One week earlier, in a hospital late at night, the man met a five-year-old girl with cancer. She's a smart kid - smart enough to know that she won't beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.
-
-
Novellas Are Horrible!!!!!
- By 3xcharm on 12-28-17
By: Fredrik Backman
-
Breakfast with Buddha
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their childhood home, Otto Ringling, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a riddle is not what he'd planned. But in an effort to westernize his passenger---and amuse himself---he decides to show the monk some "American fun" along the way.
-
-
a thoughtful and often hilarious journey
- By Yaya Mary on 09-15-11
By: Roland Merullo
-
A Harvest of Secrets
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. The seeds of terror planted by Hitler have brought Allied forces to Italian soil. Young lovers separated by war—one near a Tuscan hill town, the other a soldier on the Sicilian front—will meet any challenge to reunite.
-
-
Italy during World War II
- By Kindle Customer on 09-16-22
By: Roland Merullo
-
Vatican Waltz
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cynthia Piantedosi lives a quiet, unassuming life with her elderly father just outside of Boston. When she loses her beloved grandmother as a child, her faith takes a turn for the devout, and she begins experiencing what she describes as "spells" - moments of such intense prayer that she loses herself. Uninterested in boys and a social life, she develops a deep friendship with the parish priest, whose ideas are often seen as too provocative by his congregation but who encourages her to explore her spells.
-
-
I enjoyed it until the last page.
- By Pam on 08-15-16
By: Roland Merullo
-
From These Broken Streets
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. The Nazi occupation has cemented its grip on the devastated city of Naples. Giuseppe DiPietra, a curator in the National Archives, has a subversive plan to aid the Allies. If he’s discovered, forced labor or swift execution. Lucia Pastone, secretary for the Italian Fascist government, is risking her own life in secret defiance of orders. And Lucia’s father, Aldo, is a black marketeer who draws Giuseppe and Lucia into the underworld - for their protection and to help plant the seeds of resistance.
-
-
I’ve been to Naples and never knew any of this
- By paula wright on 12-30-20
By: Roland Merullo
Critic reviews
“There is much to admire in The Light Over Lake Como: the meticulous research, compelling structure, emotional intensity, and powerful, descriptive writing. This novel helps readers understand why Italy still has such complicated politics. World War II left its mark. Highly recommended.” —Historical Novel Society (Editors’ Choice)
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Delight of Being Ordinary
- A Road Trip with the Pope and the Dalai Lama
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Roland Merullo's playful, eloquent, and life-affirming novel finds the Pope and the Dalai Lama teaming up for an unsanctioned road trip through the Italian countryside to rediscover the everyday joys of life that can seem, even for the two holiest men in the world, unattainable.
-
-
Hope this is not the end of the story!
- By LuoL on 10-05-17
By: Roland Merullo
-
A Harvest of Secrets
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. The seeds of terror planted by Hitler have brought Allied forces to Italian soil. Young lovers separated by war—one near a Tuscan hill town, the other a soldier on the Sicilian front—will meet any challenge to reunite.
-
-
Italy during World War II
- By Kindle Customer on 09-16-22
By: Roland Merullo
-
From These Broken Streets
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. The Nazi occupation has cemented its grip on the devastated city of Naples. Giuseppe DiPietra, a curator in the National Archives, has a subversive plan to aid the Allies. If he’s discovered, forced labor or swift execution. Lucia Pastone, secretary for the Italian Fascist government, is risking her own life in secret defiance of orders. And Lucia’s father, Aldo, is a black marketeer who draws Giuseppe and Lucia into the underworld - for their protection and to help plant the seeds of resistance.
-
-
I’ve been to Naples and never knew any of this
- By paula wright on 12-30-20
By: Roland Merullo
-
American Savior
- A Novel of Divine Politics
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Roland Merullo's novel American Savior posits an inspired "what if" scenario: What if Jesus, alarmed at how the earth's most powerful nation has lost its spiritual footing and dismayed at how his own teachings have been distorted - used by politicians and religious zealots to turn love into hatred and faith into a call to arms - returns and announces that he is running for president of the United States?
-
-
Excellent Reading
- By Patti on 12-04-20
By: Roland Merullo
-
Once Night Falls
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. Luca Benedetto has joined the partisans in their fight against the German troops ravaging the shores of his town on Lake Como. While risking his life to free his country, Luca is also struggling to protect Sarah, his Jewish lover who’s hiding in a mountain cabin. As the violent Nazi occupation intensifies, Luca and Sarah fear for more than their own lives.
-
-
Joe the Sicilian
- By Carolyn Covello on 12-16-19
By: Roland Merullo
-
What a Father Leaves
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Roland Merullo
- Length: 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What a Father Leaves is the story of two men, father and son - each stubborn and determined in his own way, each facing the trials of life with a particular determination - and the way they come to understand and respect each other.
-
-
Not what I expected
- By Prayer Lady on 01-30-16
By: Roland Merullo
-
The Delight of Being Ordinary
- A Road Trip with the Pope and the Dalai Lama
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Roland Merullo's playful, eloquent, and life-affirming novel finds the Pope and the Dalai Lama teaming up for an unsanctioned road trip through the Italian countryside to rediscover the everyday joys of life that can seem, even for the two holiest men in the world, unattainable.
-
-
Hope this is not the end of the story!
- By LuoL on 10-05-17
By: Roland Merullo
-
A Harvest of Secrets
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. The seeds of terror planted by Hitler have brought Allied forces to Italian soil. Young lovers separated by war—one near a Tuscan hill town, the other a soldier on the Sicilian front—will meet any challenge to reunite.
-
-
Italy during World War II
- By Kindle Customer on 09-16-22
By: Roland Merullo
-
From These Broken Streets
- A Novel
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. The Nazi occupation has cemented its grip on the devastated city of Naples. Giuseppe DiPietra, a curator in the National Archives, has a subversive plan to aid the Allies. If he’s discovered, forced labor or swift execution. Lucia Pastone, secretary for the Italian Fascist government, is risking her own life in secret defiance of orders. And Lucia’s father, Aldo, is a black marketeer who draws Giuseppe and Lucia into the underworld - for their protection and to help plant the seeds of resistance.
-
-
I’ve been to Naples and never knew any of this
- By paula wright on 12-30-20
By: Roland Merullo
-
American Savior
- A Novel of Divine Politics
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Roland Merullo's novel American Savior posits an inspired "what if" scenario: What if Jesus, alarmed at how the earth's most powerful nation has lost its spiritual footing and dismayed at how his own teachings have been distorted - used by politicians and religious zealots to turn love into hatred and faith into a call to arms - returns and announces that he is running for president of the United States?
-
-
Excellent Reading
- By Patti on 12-04-20
By: Roland Merullo
-
Once Night Falls
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy, 1943. Luca Benedetto has joined the partisans in their fight against the German troops ravaging the shores of his town on Lake Como. While risking his life to free his country, Luca is also struggling to protect Sarah, his Jewish lover who’s hiding in a mountain cabin. As the violent Nazi occupation intensifies, Luca and Sarah fear for more than their own lives.
-
-
Joe the Sicilian
- By Carolyn Covello on 12-16-19
By: Roland Merullo
-
What a Father Leaves
- By: Roland Merullo
- Narrated by: Roland Merullo
- Length: 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What a Father Leaves is the story of two men, father and son - each stubborn and determined in his own way, each facing the trials of life with a particular determination - and the way they come to understand and respect each other.
-
-
Not what I expected
- By Prayer Lady on 01-30-16
By: Roland Merullo
Great Historical Fiction
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Narrator was not compelling and the Italian pronunciations were poor
Love the WW II setting
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It was a good story, I just had a hard time getting into it. I usually enjoy war-time historical fiction, but this one was just whatever.
Disappointed by Narrator
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.